Vital Decisions LLC
Public Relations Office
Phone (800) 301-3984
Email pr@vitaldecisions.net
Vital Decisions Completes 3,000th Case
Millburn, NJ. December. 17, 2007 – Vital Decisions, LLC announced today that it has completed its 3,000th patient counseling intervention for those with serious or life limiting medical conditions. Several of the nation’s largest national and regional health care plans offer the Vital Decisions service as a benefit to their members. Vital Decisions brought on its first clients in 2006 and today has contracts in place nationwide to cover over ten million Americans.
Vital Decisions’ comprehensive counseling service helps patients and families match their personal goals, values and preferences with the complex medical decisions that need to be made when experiencing a serious medical situation. Vital Decisions’ counseling staff consists of an interdisciplinary team which includes biomedical ethicists, physicians, nurses, social workers and therapists who have extensive experience and specific training in the medical, ethical and legal issues surrounding significant illness. The service, carried out by the phone and other remote technologies, explores relevant issues with the patient and family such as:
Realistic and achievable goals of care
Benefits and burdens of various treatment paths
Advance care planning (e.g. advanced directives, Hospice benefit, DNR/DNI, etc.)
Pain assessment and palliative care options
Need for conflict mediation
Grief issues
As a result of the counseling intervention, patients report higher satisfaction with their healthcare plan and are empowered to pursue a treatment plan which matches their values and desires - often reducing the amount of non-beneficial services and unwarranted suffering that the patients and their families must endure.
“Our company’s growth is a direct result of patients and their families wanting more input into matching the care that they choose to their personal goals and values.”, commented Mitchell Daitz, CEO of the Company, “Our proprietary counseling service ensures that patients are in the position to advocate for the care plan that makes the most sense to their unique situation and preferences. We are privileged to be able to help make a difference with these patients in a very difficult and stressful time in their lives. We look forward to touching and benefiting increasing numbers of patients and their families in 2008.”
About Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.
Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc. is the leading research and development company for computer-and coaching-based programs to change health risk behaviors. Based on the Transtheoretical Model developed by founder Dr. James O. Prochaska, Pro-Change programs are for entire populations and are uniquely tailored to each individual. Pro-Change programs have produced unprecedented impacts on multiple behaviors to enhance health and reduce health care costs.
About Vital Decisions
Vital Decisions is the leader in providing health care counseling services to individuals and their families who are facing serious medical situations. Their proprietary counseling methodology, called the Living Well Program, enables patients to become more active participants in identifying, communicating and incorporating their individual preferences and priorities into current and future decisions about their care. For more information, visit www.vitaldecisions.net